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Location:
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific OceanGeographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
Area comparative
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 25,760 km
Maritime claims:
By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid — 40% of the landmass is covered by sand dunes. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical rainforestA rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. Some cite a minimum normal annual rainfall of 2500 mm (about 100 inches or 250 centimeters), with normal rainfall at least 60 mm during each of the twelve months of the year. Others set the minims, part grasslands, and part desert.
Rainfall is highly variable, with frequent droughtsA drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but instead is an interplay between natural water availability and human demands for water supply. lasting several seasons. Occasionally a duststorm will blanket a region or even several states and there are reports of the occasional large tornado. Rising levels of salinitySalinity in Australian English may refer to soil salinity, see Salinity in Australia Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. Definitions The salt content of most natural lakes, rivers, and streams is so small that these wat and desertification in some areas is ravaging the landscape.
Australia is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore has no volcanism, although it may sometimes receive minor earthquakes. The terrain is mostly heavily weathered, low plateauFor alternate uses of the term, see Plateau (disambiguation). In geology and earth science, a plateau is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat open country if the uplift was recent in geologic history. Plateaus, like mesas and buttes, with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in southeast. Tasmania and the Australian AlpsMount Buffalo The Australian Alps is a general term for the highest mountain ranges in south-eastern Australia. The term Great Dividing Range is used to describe the series of mountains and plateaus which run about 3000 kilometres from northern Queensland contain a number of permanent icefield s and numerous glacierA glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. Equivalently, it is a multi-year ice accretion in mountainous terrain. The glacier fringe is the area where the glacier has recently melted. There ares. The Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. It stretches over 2000 kilometres in length and can be seen from space. The first European explorer to see, by far the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast. Uluru, in central Australia, is the largest monolith in the world.
Elevation extremes:
See also: